Meningococcal B Immunisation Program

The State Government Meningococcal B (MenB) Immunisation Program provides funded (free) MenB (Bexsero®) vaccines to eligible children and young people who are residents of South Australia and have a Medicare card.

Ongoing programs 

  • The childhood program is offered to those aged 6 weeks to 12 months of age.
  • The school program is offered to students in Year 10.

Childhood program: 6 weeks to 12 months

  • Children commencing the vaccine schedule between 6 weeks and 12 months of age require 3 doses in total (2 primary doses and 1 booster dose).
  • Bexsero should be routinely administered at 6 weeks, 4 and 12 months of age. This aligns with the usual schedule points for the National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccines.
  • Children who were born from 1 October 2017 are eligible under the ongoing Childhood Program which commenced on the 1 October 2018. These children can receive funded Bexsero vaccine for missed doses if they did not receive them at the recommended schedule points. Those commencing the vaccine schedule at 12 months of age or older require 2 doses in total with a minimum interval of 8 weeks between doses.
  • Bexsero can be safely administered with other NIP vaccine.
  • Fever (≥ 38.5°C) in young children aged less than 2 years is a common and expected adverse event following Bexsero administration. Paracetamol is recommended with every dose of Bexsero for those aged less than 2 years.

The first dose of paracetamol is recommended within 30-minutes prior to, or as soon as practicable, after vaccination. This is followed by two more doses of paracetamol given 6 hours apart, even if the child does not have a fever. Doses of paracetamol should be administered as per the manufacturer’s guidelines. Refer to the Managing possible fever after meningococcal B vaccine administration (PDF 44KB).

From 1 July 2020 the Commonwealth Government included the meningococcal B vaccine (Bexsero®) on to the National Immunisation Program for:

  • Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children less than two years of age; this will be given at the same ages as the current state funded South Australian program. See Aboriginal immunisation recommendations for further information.
  • People of any age with specific medical conditions as they are at increased risk of invasive meningococcal B disease. If aged less than 12 months of age, an extra dose of meningococcal B vaccine (Bexsero®) is recommended and funded at 6 months of age for children in this category. Speak to your immunisation provider for further details. See medical at risk immunisation requirements for further information.

School program: students in year 10

  • Students in Year 10 will be offered the Bexsero vaccine as part of the school immunisation program.
    • Students who were in Year 10 from 2019 are eligible under the ongoing Year 10 School Immunisation Program, which commenced in February 2019. These students can receive funded meningococcal vaccine for missed doses if they did not receive them at school, up to the age of 20 years of age.
  • 2 doses with a minimum interval of 8 weeks between doses.
  • Bexsero can be safely administered with NIP vaccines.

Further information for consumers

Information for parents regarding the Meningococcal B Immunisation Program is available in the Consumer – Frequently Asked Questions (PDF 372KB).

Information for health professionals

Childhood program administration recommendations

The below recommendations can assist with the administration of multiple vaccines at the 12 month schedule point. It is recommended that where possible:

  • All scheduled vaccines should be administrated in one visit, if possible.
  • If all vaccines cannot be administrated at one visit, prioritise the administration of vaccines contained on the NIP.
  • If all scheduled NIP vaccines cannot be given in one visit, prioritise the antigens not previously given, for example MMR at the 12 month scheduled point.
  • Refer to the Recommended sites for childhood vaccinations.  
  • Always check the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to see if any doses of a meningococcal B vaccine have already been administered.

Vaccines must only be reconstituted with the diluent supplied. Never mix separate vaccines together.

Available resources

The below resources have been developed to assist immunisation providers in the delivery of this program:

Further information is available in the Frequently Asked Questions for health professionals (PDF 339KB).